Paper-feeding machine.



R. E. JONES.

PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

. APPLICATION FILED APB.13, 1912.

.1 ,063,038. Patented May 27, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. E. JONES. PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1912.

Patentd May 27, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ani/mamas: I

E. JONES. PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13., 1912.

1,063,038. Patented May 27, 1913.

3 BEEETHHBET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD E. JONES, F PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR IO DEXTER FOLDER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PAPER-FEEDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27, 1913.

dent of Pearl River, county of Rockland,

and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Feeding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has for its object to simplify and improve the feeding off mechanism of an automatic paper feeding ma chine of the type in which a pile of sheets is mounted upon a vertically adjustable table or platform. In this type of machine the successive sheets are usually acted upon at their rear corner by sheet buckling devices to give them a preliminary separation, then engaged by the feeding off devices which shift the sheet forwardly upon the pile and finally taken by delivery devices which complete the removal of the sheet from the pile.

The improved feeding .oif mechanismof the present invention comprises a horizontally reciprocating carriage operating upon atrack bar above the pile of sheets and supporting a sheet engaging finger which is movable toward and away from the pile, a cam movable longitudinally upon the carriage for raising and lowering the feed finger thereon, and an operating rock arm having positive connectionwith said cam and a lost motion connection with said carriage so that the initial movement of said rock arm in both directions will shift the cam upon the carriage for lowering or raising the feed finger, and the continued movement in either direction will actuate the carriage after the position of the feed finger has been determined.

In order that my invention may be fully understood 1 will first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings and afterward point out the novelty more particularly in the annexed claims.

In said drawings Figures 1 and 2 are detail, vertical, longitudinal sectional views of part of a paper feeding machine having my improved feeding off mechanism applied thereto, the two views showing in full and dotted lines the several shifted positions of the operative parts. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail, rear elevation of the same.

In the drawings I have shown only such parts of an automatic paper feeding machine as will be necessary to understand the construction and operation of my improved feeding off mechanism. In the drawing P represents a pile of sheets which are supposed to be supported upon an automatically operated elevating table or platform (not shown) of the usual type.

1 represents the piling guides against which the forward edge of the pile of sheets operates.

2 is a part of the frame of the feeder, in which is ournaled a constantly driven shaft 3 carrying a plurality of underfeed rollers 4 designed to operate in the usual manner. Drop rollers (not shown) are employed in connection with the underfeed rollers 4 to act as delivery mechanism for taking the successive sheets fed from the pile P and transferring them to a sheet conveyer or other feeding mechanism arranged to carry sheets to the machine which is to operate upon them.

Extending transversely of the machine above the pile of sheets is a. rigid stay bar 10 and suitably journaled in bearings (not shown) in front of the stay bar 10 is a rock shaft 15. This rock shaft is designed to be operated in any suitable manner for giving ita to and fro motion from which the feeding ofi mechanism is operated as will presently be explained. Supported upon the stay bar 10 is a bracket 11 which is adjustable transversely of the machine and is secured in its normal adjusted position by means of set screw 12 engaging the bar 10. This bracket 11 has a forwardly projecting web 11, provided with a hub embracing the rock shaft 15 alongside of a rock arm 16 which is adjustably secured to shaft 15 by means of set screw 17 and is held against rotation upon the shaft by a -key 18 resting in corresponding grooves in the shaft and hub of the rock arm. This rock arm 16 depends from the rock shaft 15 and is operatively connected with the feeding oif carriage and controlling cam as will presently be explained.

One end of an arm 14 encircles the bar 10 and is formed with a U-shaped forward end 14* which rests against the rock shaft 15 close up against the .hub of rock arm 16. This arm 14 is secured to the hub of bracket 11 by means of screws 14 so that the bracket 11 and arm l-l constitute a rigid structure which is adjustable transversely of the machine upon the bar 10. Ily loosening the screws 1'2 and 17 the bracket 11 can be adjusted transversely of the machine to cause the rock arm 11' to slide upon rock shaft and carry the feeding oll' mechanism presently to be explained to the desired position transversely of the machine. \Yhen the parts are in the desired position the set screws 12 and J are tightened up and the mechanism will be ready to operate. Secured to the lower end of the bracket 11 by means of screws '21 is a horizontal guide bar 20 presented above the top of the pile l. slide is formed with a transverse groove in to fit over and slide upon the bar 20. keeper plate 27 is secured to the block '23 by means of screws 93. said plate QT serving to secure the block 23 upon the track bar '30. Secured to the face of the keeper plate 27 is a leaf spring 20 the oppositel v projecting ends of said spring being provided with sockets 30 which are adapted to resiliently interlock with the outer ends of the posts 31 which project laterally from the guide bar 20.

The block is formed with a .vertical rectangular groove on its face opposite to the keeper plate 27 and a carriage bracket l5 is formed with a vertical rib i1 to fit the groove 10 in block 25, to make said block adjustable vertically thereon. The connection between carriage bracket 4.") and block 25 is represented clearly in Fig. of the drawings. The upper portion of the carriage bracket 15 is formed with a vertical elongated slot to through which passes a hand screw threaded into the block inasmuch as the head of screw 47 rests against the flange around the slot 16, when said screw is tightened the carriage bracket -15 will be securely held against vertical displacement upon the reciprocating block 25.

The carriage bracket i5 is formed with a lower hub 50 in which is niounted a laterally projecting bearing pin 51 in which is freely jonrnaled the teed tinger 55 formed with an upwardly projecting operating arm .36 carrying in its upper end an anti-friction roller 57. .in adjustable tension spring 58 is mounted up n the pin 31 and engages at one end a pin projecting laterally from the feed tinger not shown and at its other end an adjustable milled collar (30 freely journaled upon the pin 51 and formed with notches (31 in its lateral face which are adapted to engage the pin t'visecured in the pin 71 This arrangement of tension spring is common in the art. the purpose being to the feed linger a spring tendency to move into engagement with the top of the pile of sheets.

The feed finger 55 has supported in its free end a rubber faced friction wheel which may be arranged in any of the well known ways.

Projecting laterally from the carriage bracket- 45 is a pin or post T0 on which is slidably supported the rear end 75 of a link or pitinan 81 the forward end of said pitman being pivotally connected to the rock arm 16. A slot 76 in the rear end 75 of the pitman S1 permits lost motion between said pitman and pin 70. A cam block 71 which depends from the slotted end 75 of the pitman. is adapted to periodically engage the anti-friction roller 57 for raising the feed finger away frcin the pile of sheets.

The operation of the mechanism will be clear from the following description: It will be observed that the rock arm 16 has a positive connection through link or pitman 81 with the cam block 71, while the pin and slotconnection between the link or pitman 81 and the carriage 4-5 permits lost motion at this point. By reason of this connection it will be observed that the initial movement of rock arm 16 in either direction will cause the cam block 71 to be shifted upon the carriage bracket 45, the carriage -15 being yieldingly held against movement atthe start of each of its forward and rearward movements by the pins 31 engaging sockets 30 in the leaf spring 29. Fig. 1 of the drawing shows in full lines the position of the feeding off mechanism immediately after the completion of this initial movement of the rock arm 16, the cam block 71 being shown in its forwardly shifted position to permit the engagement of the feed finger 55 with the top of the pile of sheets. This full line position also shows the pin in engagement with the rear end of the slot 76 in readiness to start the forward movement of the carriage with the feed finger 1owered. The dotted position of the parts shown in Fig. 1 is the limit of the forward or feeding stroke. Immediately following this position the parts assume the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, which represents the completion of the initial return movement if-rook arm 16 with the cam block 71 shifted to its rearmost position and the feed finger 55 eleazated from the pile in readiness for its return stroke. When the carriage and feed finger reach their rearmost position the arm 16 starts to rock forwardly again and the dotted line position of the parts in Fig. :2 shows the rock arm just after it has started its return or forward motion, as the cam starts to move forwardly for releasing or lowering the feed finger 55.

The mechanism is simple in construction and automatic in its operation, the feed finger being lowered into engagement with the pile at the start of the feeding stroke and raised away from the pile at the start of the return stroke and both the reciprocation of the carriage and the control of the feed finger being accomplished through connections with a. common operating rock arm.

What I claim is: 1. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of a reciprocating carriage, a feed finger pivotally mounted upon said carriage and movable up and down thereon, an Operating rock arm, a link operatively connecting said rock arm and said carriage, said link being provided with a'lost motion connection with said carriage and a cam mounted on said link for raising and lowering said feed finger.

2. In a feeding machine,a reciprocable carriage provided .with a pair of laterally projecting pins, a feed finger journaled on one of said pins, a cam provided with a slot embracing the other of said pins and adapted to operate said finger by-a movement relative to said carriage, and means forreciprocating said cam, said cam being adapted by its lost motion connection with the carriage to reciprocate the latter periodically.

3. In a feeding machine, the combination with a reciprocable carriage provided with a laterally projecting pin, of a feed finger pivotally mounted on said carriage, anda cam provided with a slot reciprocably engaging said pin, and means for reciprocating said cam, said cam being adapted to periodically operate said finger and reciprocate said carriage.

4. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of a guide bar, a carria e mounted to reciprocate upon said bar, a evice upon said carriage engaging a part upon said bar for retarding the movement of the carriage,

,a cam having a pin and SlOtCOIlllBCtlOIl with said carriage, and a feed finger movably mounted upon said carriage and controlled by said cam.

5. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of a guide bar, a carriage mounted to reciprocate upon said bar, a leaf spring mounted upon said carriage with oppositely projecting ends, and projections mounted on said guide bar and adapted to respectively and periodically engage said projecting ends.

6. In a.paper feeding machine, the combination of a guide bar, a carriage mounted to reciprocate upon said bar, a projection upon said bar, a spring arm mounted upon said carriage and engaging said projection for retarding the movements of the carriage, a cam movably mounted upon said carriage,

bination of a guide bar, a carriage mounted to reciprocate upon said, bar, a pitman for reciprocating said carriage, a cam rigidly mounted upon said pitman, and a feed finger pivoted upon said carriage and having, a portion thereof acted upon by said cam.

8. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of a track bar mounted in hori zontal position above the pile of sheets, a carriage mounted to reciprocate upon said track bar, a spring pressed feed finger pivoted upon said carriage, an operating rock arm, a link or pitman pivoted at one end to said rock arm, the other end of said link or pitman having pin and slot connection with said carriage, and a finger operating cam depending from said link 'or pitman.

9. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of a track bar provided with a stop, a carriage mounted to reciprocate upon said track bar, a spring finger carried by said carriage and adapted to be moved into and out of, resilient engagement with said stop, a cam movably mounted upon said carriage, a feed finger movably mounted upon said carriage in operative relation to said cam, and an operating member having positive connection with said cam bar and a lost motion connection with said carriage.

10. In a paper feeding machine, a rock arm, a reciprocable carriage provided with a projecting pin, a pitman pivoted at one end to said rock arm and having a slot in its other end embracing said pin, a feed finger movably'connected to said carriage, and a cam partaking of the movement of. said pitman relative to said carriage, said cam belng operatively related to said feed finger.

11. In a feeding machine, the combination with a reciprocable carriage, of a feed finger movably mounted thereon, and a power transmitting link having a lost motion connection with said carriage, said link being provided with a rigidly mounted cam adapted to operatesaid feed finger.

RICHARD E. tIoNEs. 

